Taking your Print on Demand to Your Own Print and Sell?

[ZAZKAT]

Have any of you created product outside of Zazzle or other platforms and produced and sold independently through your own website or retail stores?  Which way of selling has proven the best alternative for you?

Any of you use multiple print on demand platforms?  

Looking for a quicker way to set up and get going instead of a SLOW grow.

Any kind of input would be great!

thx!

[KeegansCreation]

I haven't printed and sold products through my own website but I am on multiple print-on-demand sites. They all have different demographics that they appeal to but I do the best on Zazzle, probably because it's the most versatile. Although my main focus is Zazzle I still do post on these other sites because sometimes my designs that flame out here will do better elsewhere simply because it's different people shopping.

I must say there's no way to quickly grow your POD business (that I know of) unless you come to POD with an existing fan base/customer base and you are simply extending an already existing business. Otherwise it's going to be a slow grow just to get a wide range of designs and products and then to get eyeballs on them. That takes time, especially the part about getting eyeballs on them. 

Even though I am on other PODs too, I don't recommend trying to set up stores on many of them simultaneously. They are all wildly different in the way that they operate (outside of the basic similarity of design+product) and who they appeal to.  You could easily spread your energies too thin and wind up doing many things poorly instead of one thing well. I didn't go anywhere else until I was solidly established at Zazzle and even then I did it one place at a time so I could focus. It's slow for sure. 

[CreativeLeahG]

There are many sites you can set up a POD but sell direct from your own site. It would be a 'drop shipping' type of arrangement. As this is a Zazzle forum, I don't feel it appropriate to promote the 'competition' here personally. I haven't tried this system myself but I am familiar with the process.

There are of course many Zazzlers who use sites such as Etsy and eBay to sell Zazzle items. They are alternative ways to promote their Zazzle wares. They of course have to put through the orders themselves. This isn't something that appeals to me for many reasons.

The main downside (for me) re dropshipping is the personal responsibility you then have to the customer as you become THE only point of contact and complaint if any part of the process goes wrong. Late shipping ...not your fault but they come to you to resolve. Faulty product, poor printing ... again back to you. Zazzle for me is tops for the way the business model functions. But it does depend upon what you want to do and how much you're prepared to take on re 'customer care' etc.

How fast or slow grow you are depends not on how the POD funcions but on the desirability of your design/product and how able you are to get it seen. If you can do this via a website or blog, then Zazzle or another selling platform shouldn't make any difference. Many new designers do start off 'running'. They arrive with great skill, marketing ability and a 'niche'. These are the things that combine to generate sales.
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[Caprice]

Curious about using Etsy to sell Z items??

[ZAZKAT]

Yes, I am looking for other ways to promote products I create on Zazzle.  On any platforms or even my own website.

[leartiste67]

If you have a blog like I do, promote your zazzle shop on it.

[TShirtfort]

I tried it and had a bad experience with Etsy. There are a few videos about people getting hurt by Etsy I recommend you watch them.